


The Worst of Times

by IamHobbes



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Car Accident, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, minor injury, taking care of your dumb boyfriend at the hospital
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:22:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25589008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IamHobbes/pseuds/IamHobbes
Summary: Ukai gets into an accident, Takeda waits for him to wake up.
Relationships: Takeda Ittetsu/Ukai Keishin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 163





	The Worst of Times

By all accounts, Takeda was having a good day.

That morning, he awoke with sunlight caught in his blinds and a text message from his loving grandmother, reminding him to visit on the coming weekend for her birthday. Having finished marking all his students’ essays the night before, he had time to prepare himself a breakfast of grilled fish, egg, pickles, and rice. As he ate, he read a slim book of poems that he had bought over a year ago, which he never seemed to have the time to pick up until recently. Then, after brushing his teeth, he found his favorite tie waiting for him under the sink where he had lost it a week ago.

Yes, Takeda knew, these were simple things to be appreciative of. Still, he carried them with him as he made his way to work. He walked the streets with a smile on his face, content; the route laden with polite strangers. Each small gesture became, to him, big. Each even step, a little kindness. The quiet joys of one’s early thirties contrasted greatly with the youthful spirits that his job at a high school exposed him to, but he didn’t wish for much more excitement than that afforded to him now. _Besides_ , he thought, _I’m older than I look_.

Sitting in the faculty room, Takeda sifted through the various folders and papers on his desk. When he found what he was looking for, he took out a red pen and began making notes on his lesson plan. He had just finished teaching two classes, straight, with an hour to go until lunch. He only had one class to go after that, then he was free until dismissal. There would be no extra meetings today, which meant he could check in on the volleyball club’s practice instead. He wrote down a word, smiling. It would be his third year now, acting as head coach. They were training hard for the Spring Tournament that was coming up next month, and he had his hopes high up for another shot at Nationals. Takeda closed his eyes, sat back in his chair, and stretched. Another thing to be grateful for.

“Takeda-san!” 

Takeda turned, blinking. He searched for where the sound of his name came from and saw his co-teacher motioning to him from the other side of the room. She craned her neck above her cubicle and pointed at the landline she was holding. “There’s someone on the phone for you.”

“I got it!” Takeda replied, waving in thanks. He stood up, put a hand in his pocket, and walked over to the telephone. He snuck a peak at the watch on his wrist- _11:17_ \- and thought that he wasn’t expecting any calls. Perhaps it was another sponsor for the team or a concerned parent. Takeda sighed. He crossed his fingers for the former as he picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Takeda-sensei?”

“Speaking!”

“It’s Shimada.”

“Oh- Shimada-kun,” Takeda answered, taken by surprise. He had become well acquainted with the man on the other line. In fact, he had become a reliable drinking buddy on better Saturdays. However, Shimada had never called him at work before. Never had reason to. Confusion settled over Takeda’s face as he spoke. “What-?”

“I’m at the hospital right now,” Shimada said, before Takeda could finish. “I would’ve contacted you through Keishin’s phone but the medics took it. He...”

Shimada went on, detailing a painful-sounding car accident that happened only an hour ago. He mentioned two vehicles colliding at an intersection, with one spinning out in the road. No bystanders were hurt, thankfully, but one of the drivers- with bleached blond hair, wearing an orange hoodie- was found unconscious in his car. The police rushed him to the emergency room as soon as possible. There was blood. 

Takeda felt his legs give out from under him. He needed to sit down. He pulled up a chair and slumped on it, unable to breathe.

 _And I was having,_ he thought _, such a good day._

“Right,” he murmured into the receiver. “I’ll be there.” 

...

It took longer than Takeda would have liked to get off from work. He had to wait for a consultation to end so that he could inform the vice principal that there had been a personal emergency, that he had to leave work early and would be needing a substitute. He had to ask a favor from a colleague to oversee his remaining lesson, explaining what to do for the reading and the assignment that he would be giving out. He had to excuse Yamaguchi, the current volleyball captain, from class to leave him in-charge of practice for the day. Then, Takeda packed up his things and ran to the nearest bus stop. By the time he was able get on board, it was 2:04. Much later than he thought.

If it were up to him- if he were less responsible, less adult- he would have gone flying out the door the moment Shimada had called. After all, there were few things Takeda held as dear as the man he was rushing to see. Still, he reminded himself, he had to keep calm. Keep collected. He would not allow himself to think of the worst case scenario. If he did, he might faint.

The last time he seen Ukai was the day before yesterday. He had been over at his house, mainly to go over some plays they would try with the team later in the week. Both of them, with the help of Yachi-kun and the other managers, were doing research on their possible opponents. That night, Ukai discussed with Takeda the strategies that would eventually factor into what Karasuno tried to pull off in-game. It was good way to end a Monday. Other than that, Takeda was at Ukai’s house because, well, they got into the habit of eating late dinners together. Takeda would grade papers while Ukai prepared a meal for the two of them to share. It was a good system, making everything less lonely for the two of them.

“Hey, sensei,” Ukai had said from the kitchen. “You want miso with your curry?”

“I’d like that,” Takeda answered, not looking up from his work. 

“Good. The kids aren’t the only one’s who need to eat healthier meals,” Ukai chided him, ladling soup into a bowl. “You gotta set a good example.”

“I do my best,” Takeda hummed. He turned page 3 out of 11 of his student’s paper. It would be a long night.

“C’mon, then,” Ukai said, coming over to him by the table and placing his hands on Takeda’s shoulders. He rubbed them in circles. “Let’s eat.”

“In a minute.”

“Hurry,” Ukai leaned in and whispered in his ear. He gave it a little kiss. “Unless you’re hungry for something else...?”

“Mmm. We have work to do,” Takeda laughed, placing Ukai’s hands aside.

Ukai chuckled. “Yeah. Okay, okay.”

Takeda shook himself out of the memory. If he had known that would be the last time they would get to see each other... Takeda exhaled. He scolded himself for entertaining the thought. It was his stop. He alighted the bus and began running towards the hospital. As he reached the emergency room, he was immediately greeted by the familiar face of Shimada, which was currently lined with worry under his glasses. He walked over to Takeda in less than a heartbeat.

“I’m sorry, I came as fast as I could,” Takeda started, wiping sweat from his brow. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long, Shimada-kun.”

“It’s okay,” Shimada said, leading him over to the waiting area. “They put him in a room already.”

Takeda paused to wipe his glasses on the hem of his jacket. He sighed and braced himself. He caught Shimada’s arm and looked him in the eye.

“Is he alright?”

“The doctors haven’t found anything wrong yet, but he slammed his head hard,” Shimada explained, rubbing the nape of his neck. He sighed. “He might have a concussion. He’s still unconscious.”

“Oh,” Takeda breathed, unable to say more. His arms dropped to his sides. “I see.”

“Will you be able to stay, sensei?” Shimada asked. “Keishin’s mom will be here after their store closes, but I promised I would fetch her.”

“No, of course.” Takeda swallowed. His heart pounded loudly in his chest. “I understand. I’ll stay with him.”

...

Watching Ukai sleep, head bandaged and bruised, Takeda tried to remember the first time he realized he was in love with him.

It must have been long before they first slept together, rolling from the futon unto the wooden floor in Takeda’s apartment, chests heaving against each other while their hands sought out more skin like eager readers longing for the next page of a riveting novel; it was long before they first kissed on a night out in town, in the ramen restaurant near the school, lips touching above their food with the taste of noodles, salt, and relief; it was before they started dating, when Takeda had offered to treat Ukai to some sake after his hard work for the team. They shared the bottle in the backroom of Sakanoshita, their eyes meeting shyly every second or so, knowing the impending state of their intimacy. _When did I love you_? Takeda thought, as he stared at his boyfriend’s limp body in hospital clothes, lying in a hospital bed, hair down and fanned out over the pillow, ragged breaths and all.

Ukai was the rhyme that Takeda had been teaching his whole career, the single meter of poetry that he loved make his students read, however unenthusiastically. Everything about him, from his smoky voice to his dark gaze, was a verse etched into Takeda’s heart. He never would have expected to feel this way about a man who had resisted him so entirely the first time they met, but like all the love stories he had ever poured over, analyzed, and studied, it only made sense that the stars shine only for them. Takeda had never wanted to be with someone- to write a future out with someone- more than Ukai. It was something he had considered truth, by now. He must have loved him long before he had known it was love.

Takeda balled his hands into fists.

If that were true, what would he do if he were gone?

...

It was 1:52 am.

Takeda was sitting on a chair at Ukai’s bedside, arms crossed and eyes drooping. Ukai’s mother and Shimada had visited earlier and stayed until around 9 p.m. They could not convince Takeda to go home, despite him having work in the morning. If worse came to worse, he reasoned with them, he could ask his co-teacher to substitute for one more day. It was fine.

“Takeda-sensei, look… Keishin, he wanted… I mean, he would’ve wanted…” Shimada tried to tell him as he and Ukai’s mother were about to leave. He paused, re-thought what he was going to say, then quickly muttered, “He would want you to be kind to yourself.”

Takeda nodded as he held the door, letting the two of them out, and watched them walk the white hallway. He kept that in mind as he closed the door, walked back to the chair next to the bed, and waited in silence. Being kind to oneself seemed like an odd notion, considering the situation. All day he had been conferring with policemen and nurses until he felt emotionally exhausted. If he wanted to be kind to himself, he would have simply broken down in the middle of the conversation, devasted. He knew Shimada meant well, but Takeda was near his wit’s end. No platitude would be able to placate his grieving heart. He acted like a level-headed human in front of everyone, but inside he felt like folding into himself completely. Hot tears began to spring from his eyes and his throat decided to close up. Soon enough he had to take off his glasses as he bawled, face drenched with despair. He tried to stifle his sobs by burying his head into his hands.

He cried like that for a while, letting the devastation hit him like the wind. The moon glanced at him from outside the window, making the curtains see light. There was little he could do to not feel helpless. As he wiped his tears with the sleeve of his jacket, he failed to notice his boyfriend looking at him. 

“Sensei?”

Takeda whipped his head up at the first syllable, the soft sound of Ukai’s voice barely audible. He stood up and was holding his hand in half an instant. “You’re awake! Keishin… Keishin…” He cried, voice wavering without control. New tears began streaming down his face.

“Hey, hey-” Ukai murmured, slowly reaching out to touch his cheek. His fingers brushed out the wetness caught in Takeda’s eyelashes. “Sensei, what’s wrong?”

The question was so absurd that it made Takeda cry harder. Ukai frowned, sat up gingerly, and pressed his forehead against Takeda’s. “I’m here, hey, I’m here,” he whispered, repeatedly. “It’s alright. It’s alright, sensei.”

It took a few minutes for Takeda to calm down. He pulled away, grabbed tissues from one of the well-stocked cabinets in the room, and dried his tears. Once his breathing evened out, he sat back down on the chair and took Ukai’s hand. He stroked it gently before beginning to talk.

“You’re in the hospital,” he told Ukai, matter-of-factly. “Do you remember what happened?”

“Ah,” Ukai sighed, shaking his head. “Not really. I remember asking mom to watch over the store... I remember getting into the car with a bunch of boxes to deliver. Then, I was driving a little too fast, and I was talking to Shimada on the phone-“

“Ukai-kun.”

Ukai stopped talking as he saw Takeda’s face. It was blank and cold. He had withdrawn his hand to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. When he spoke, it was excruciating. “How can you be so careless?”

“I-“

“This accident could have been much worse.”

“I’m sorry,” Ukai mumbled, closing his eyes. Takeda stared at him, red in the face. He made a fist and brought it down angrily on the bed’s mattress. “Do you know how important you are?” He asked, fast and harsh, voice cracking at the last word. Ukai blinked. 

Then, Takeda whispered: “Don’t scare me like that, Keishin.” His eyes were rimmed red, tears threatening to spill again. He sucked in his breath and bit his lip to keep it from quivering.

“I’m sorry,” Ukai pleaded, brows furrowed. “You know I am. Don’t cry, sensei. Please.”

Takeda looked at the man in front of him and felt as though his chest would collapse. He ran a hand down his face and sniffled. Nothing he could say now would change what had happened. He had made his point. “I’m sorry, too. You’re the one who’s hurt and I’ve done nothing but make you comfort me.”

“Hey,” Ukai chuckled, weakly. “What else are boyfriends for?” Takeda cracked a small smile. He proceeded to fill Ukai in on the other happenings of that day, about Shimada and his mother, the police report, and so on. Ukai half-listened, an unreadable look on his face, before cutting Takeda off mid-sentence.

“Actually, I remember now. I was on my way to do something important.”

“Oh. An errand?” Takeda asked. “Do you need me to do it for you?”

“No.”

Ukai stared at his hands, quiet all of a sudden. He seemed to be debating with himself whether to continue or not.

“Nevermind,” he muttered through his teeth. “This is a bad time.”

Takeda took his hand. “What is it? Tell me.”

Ukai looked away, flushing. “…I was going to pick up a ring. That’s why I was driving so fast.”

“A ring?” Takeda raised an eyebrow. “What for?”

Ukai looked him in the eye and held his gaze. He swallowed before he spoke.

“Would you spend the rest of this damn life with me, sensei?”

Takeda’s heart skipped a beat. It took a second for him to comprehend what Ukai was saying. When he finally understood, he was already holding Ukai close, weeping into his shoulder. It was the worst of times, sure, but that made it all the more precious. He was murmuring ‘of course’ into Ukai’s hair until the sun came up.

**Author's Note:**

> so ukatake has officially taken over my life, i’m accepting writing prompts for them on my tumblr (ukaiukai.tumblr.com)! or my twt (@elissinning) hehe


End file.
